plan would be when it comes to that country? politics should move us some distance toward debate and decision making on the hardest problems we face as a country. that is not what we're getting from our politics right now. if we're not getting it now, when are we going to get it? have a great night. . fees came on the field. drama over a botched call makes it all the way to washington. miracle escape. a russian truck driver walks away from a disaster head on collision. and extreme sky. new hubble images show nasa's deepest ever view of the universe. good morning, i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we'll begin with that controversial call. the disputed play ending monday night's football game between green bay and seattle has become a national debate. even both presidential candidates are weighing in calling for the nfl to end the lockout of the regular referees. jay gray reports. >> reporter: the final eight seconds in monday night's game now forever frozen in time. or was it? one official signals touchdown, the other touchback. replacement officials again in the spotlight. >> i don't like the way this game finished. respect the chaos and confuse first if i having way to disbelief. >> haven't seen anything in all my years of football. >> and then disgust. >> look at the replay.

and the fact it was reviewed. awful. >> don't ask me a question about the officials. >> reporter: the questions and the ongoing labor dispute link her. along with concerns about player safety and how the controversy may affect the integrity of the league. a firestorm that's been building through the first three weeks of the season. at least five coaches face possible signs from the league for showing their from us trace, including bill bell click who tried to grab a referee after a questionable call at the end of sunday night's game. >> trying to at the time to ger an important call in that game. >> a written explanation on what the league calls a simultaneous catch show a pass interference call should have been called. but then it goes on to say the nfl supports the decision not to

overturn the on-field ruling. >> tragic. >> reporter: even though support and trust is clearly wavering for coaches, players and fans. jay gray, nbc news. well, president obama and mitt romney campaign today in the important battleground state of ohio. yesterday president obama addressed the united nations general assembly where syria and iran took center stage. tracie potts joins us from washington with all of those details. good morning to you. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. as you have no doubt heard over and over, ohio is a big one on the list of battleground states and now it looks like the president has a pretty good lead there. >> i accept people will call me awful things every day. and i will always defend their right to do so. >> reporter: president obama heads to ohio today with an eight point lead according to

the "washington post "washingto" mitt romney is there, too. >> is there anyone who thinks raising taxes will help grow the economy? >> no, his play is to continue what he has done before, the status quo has not worked. >> romney attacking someone on taxes? that's like me attacking someone for being passionate in politics. >> reporter: romney is on a two day bus tour in ohio. tuesday with his running mate. >> after four years of getting the run around, what america needs is a turnaround. >> reporter: but it's a tough state to make their pitch for 12 million more jobs. ohio's employment rate is lower than the national average. in ohio and seven other states today, the president releases another add slamming romney for dismissing the 47% of americans who don't pay taxes.

he'll run into some struggling families in florida. the "washington post" gives the president a four point edge there. >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington. thanks. here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today. in hawaii, check out these powerful waves. a created an incredible scene at the beginning of a paddle boat race. they were tossed around like rag dolls. the ocean was littered with at least ten capsizeded canoes before the race even started. in south dakota, close to 1,000 bison created quite a rumble during the buffalo round up. thousands of spectators from all over the world make the trip each year to watch the animals tam speed before they are corralled in to pens. roughly 250 of those guys will go up for auction. and in utah, look closely,

that is the face of president obama and mitt romney. they've been depicted in a corn maze you can choose to enter the maze by either the obama or romney entrance. and vote voting will end on election day. well, now for a look at your national weather, we turn to bill karins. he has your weather channel forecast. if only it was that easy. hey, choose that entrance or that entrance. >> and if you're staring at your tvs, it was slightly difficult to try to make them out. >> hey, some poor guy had to -- >> yes, some poor guy had a lot of time on his hands. >> i hopes he's not watching this morning. >> no, he's out in the corn maze. he's trimming the hedges. good morning, everyone. a rainy morning in many spots especially in the middle of the country. but just a murky weather pattern from the northeast today, mid-atlantic, all the way through the middle of the country through the heartland. the green on the map is the

rain, white and gray is the clouds. up here in new england, just very light rain. had a shower moving through maryland just north of d.c. now trying to cross into delaware. just south of pittsburgh, we've had steadier rain. so everyone in the new england area today should have an umbrella with you and the kids, it won't pour all day. it will only be hit and miss showers. but they will be numerous especially late in the day. temperatures won't be too bad, though. it's actually a mild day compared to yesterday. for the heavier rain, we shift into areas of ohio. looks like louisville and kentucky, heavier rain that will shift down on you in the next half hour or so. so if you're leaving your house in louisville, you definitely need the umbrella. as we move further to the west, the worst weather in the country looks to be central illinois, 64s crossing 57. mount vernon, a thunderstorm you're dealing with. and further to the west, just light rain for you in in kansas city. but right through the middle of the country is where we're dealing with numerous areas of some light rains. as far as your forecast goes take, we are going to be looking for the most part temperatures

to be on the cooler side, the only exception down here in texas where it's still pretty hot. but as we mentioned, just numerous areas. we won't see severe storms today or anything like that, but definitely hit and miss showers. >> all right, bill, thank you. coming up, reality hits wall street. home prices rise. and california climbs on board with google's carve the future. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. turning back the clock, the tigers get even and pop the champagne, another team punches their ticket to the postseason. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. jack, you're a little boring.

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welcome back. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. the naacp is pressing the u.n. to send observers to monitor this year's elections. the civil rights group believes up to 6 million americans are being blocked from voting because of felony criminal records.

in spain, dozens of protesters have been injured in clashes with police. they're angry over cuts in public employee salaries, health and education as spain races to deal with massive debt. in russia, this is incredible video. it shows a truck driver literally walking away from a crash with another big rig he was hurled from his cab at the moment of impact but amazingly landed right up with barely a scratch. and finally, this is the deepest view of space you have ever seen. the hubble telescope has sent back a picture more than 13 billion light years in the making. it's a collage of views, more than 5,000 galaxies captured over ten years. now a first look at this morning's dish of scrambled politics. next month, stevie wonder is among the stars performing at

benefit concert for president obama in los angeles. the hollywood reporter also says that on the bill with wonder will be jennifer hudson and katy perry. michael bloomberg is on the number one richest person in political office in the u.s. according to the annual forbes list of richest americans. according to the weather channel, up to 35% of undecided likely voters say bad weather could keep them from heading to the polls on election day in november. paul ryan, a green bay packers fan from wisconsin, chimed in on the referee ruling that cost his team a win monday night. ryan joked, quote, i half think these refs work part-time for the obama administration in the budget office. mitt romney had kind words for bill clinton yesterday, saying a few nice words from bill clinton can do a lot of good, he said. and he joked that he would wait for his clinton bounce in the

polls. and mr. romney's wife, ann, was on the "tonight show" with jay leno talking about his husband's plans for america's future and she explained to jay how she feels about mitt running for president. >> four years ago i made a videotape and on the videotape, i looked in the camera and he said, mitt, this is for you, sweetheart, i'm never doing this again. >> well, jay also asked ann romney if mitt is a good dancer. she replied he's gotten to be a better dancer. and that's your morning dish of scrambled politics. elsewhere, missouri republican congressman todd aiken let the deadline to let the senate race pass yesterday without dropping out. he's bound to stay despite pressure within his own party since his legit mate rape comments. last night on the last word with lawrence o'donnell, aiken's opponent claire mccaskill says that was clearly aiken's plan

all along. >> i think he believes that this is a race that he was chosen to run by the people of the state and i think he began this whole process very committed. and you have to remember, this is someone who has always operated on the fringe of his party. it's not that todd and i are that far apart. it's i'm in the middle and he's on the very edge. so he's never really had a warm and close relationship with a lot of the republican party leaders because of his extreme views. >> lean forward with the lawrence o'donnell and last word show week nights at 10:00 p.m. eastern time only on msnbc, the place for politics. now here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow closed at 13,457 after stumbling 101 points yesterday. the s&p dropped 15. the nasdaq tumbled 43. taking a look at overseas trading this morning.

in tokyo, the nikkei lost 184 points while in hong kong the hang seng fell 170. well, so far the first week of fall has delivered a dose of harsh reality back to the street. heavy equipment maker caterpillar spooked markets tuesday joining the likes of several bellwether stocks to warn sluggish global growth will cut into its bottom line. technology shares came under pressure over lingering worries apple supplies of the new iphone 5 won't be able to keep up with demand. shares of the world's most valuable company fell for a second day in a row. the conference boards highest consumer confidence reading in seven months was overshadowed by global stimulus worries. likewise, gains sparked by a steady rise in home prices were eventually wiped out by the end of the day. staples lost ground tuesday after revealing it will close dozens of stores and reduce its north american retail space by 15%. investors appeared to be encouraged by a presentation

from blackberry maker research in motion tuesday. rim's stock climbed 5%. and finally california governor jerry brown rode to google headquarters in a self-driving toyota prius tuesday before signing legislation paving the way for the company's driverless cars in california. the new law allows testing of vehicles on public roadways so long as properly licensed drivers are behind the wheel, well, coming up, the tigers roar, the white sox stumble and the a's blast off in extras, plus a walk-off clincher calls for champagne showers in atlanta. your first look at sports is straight ahead. inside the v8 taste lab. tomato, obviously. haha. there's more than that though, there's a kick to it. there's a pop. wahlalalalallala! pepper, but not pepper, i'm getting like, pep-pepper. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, zip zip zip zip zip! i'm literally getting zinged by the flavor.

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and in sports, a final inning two-run homer against the miami marlins secured a playoff berth for the braves last night. here's mario solis. good morning. after an epic meltdown last year, the braves finally got it right. to atlanta where it didn't come easy for the tribe, the marlins donovan solano has never hit a major league home run and last night he hit two. the second gives miami a 3-2 lead, but then the power of the rally cap takes over. ninth inning, atlanta down one. one on for freddie freeman. if it's deep enough, it's a playoff berth. there it goes, and here comes the braves. they win 4-3 in dramatic fashion. pop the champagne, atlanta locks down a wild card spot, meaning chipper jones will have one last

shot at a world series title. the race in the a.l. central is as close as it gets. tigers only scored two runs against the royals, but that's all they would need. anibal sanchez was pitching bee bees. ten strikeouts over nine innings of work. tigers beat kc 2-0. it is just sanchez's fourth win of the year, but it couldn't have come at a better time. the white sox couldn't keep pace. they lost to the indians. ezequel carrera caps off a three-run fourth with an rbi single. cleveland up 4-0 and they hold on to win 4-3. tigers and sox now tied for first in the a.l. central. seems like every time the orioles win, the yankees do too. well, yesterday both teams lost. twinkies hung four on the pin stripes in the seventh. they win 5-4. new york's lead in the east is still 1 1/2. angels are in the hunt for october. zack greinke pitching a gem. thirteen strikeouts in just five innings of work. it is the first time somebody's done that since 1920. angels beat the mariners and are two back in the wild card.

angels are chasing the a's. oakland played the role of spoiler in texas. rangers had a chance to clinch a playoff spot but george kotarras had other ideas. the go-ahead homer in the tenth. rangers will have to wait another day. a's win 3-2. and that's your first look at sports. i'm mario solis. and now we check back in with bill karins. good morning once against. >> good morning. two mornings in a row we've seen the worst weather in the country heading through illinois. yesterday we had a tornado spotted. a little rain wrapping around it. those are always the dangerous once. can't get a lot of visibility on those. a little bit of damage in washington county, but no fat fatalities and no injuries. today we're here in southern portions of south central illinois, these storms trying to make their run at indiana. so right along interstate 64, probably one of the worst drives today through the ohio valley. we have numerous showers trying

to race through new england. it will be more cloudy than sunny in many areas with hit and miss showers. so bring the umbrella with you. as far as the rain foe goes, very light amounts. heavier rains whether be from kansas through illinois, indiana, kentucky.light amounts. heavier rains whether be from kansas through illinois, indiana, kentucky. dry in texas. we have seen such a beautiful september with so many sunshine. but as we go you throughout the next four or five days from d.c. to philadelphia right up through new jersey, don't expect a lot of sunshine. we could see cloudy skies continuing right into t weekend. it's been so picture perfect. this is kind of the first kind of gloomy little period we've seen. >> no apple picking this week. >> you can apple pick, it's just a little damp. apples will be pre-washed. >> i like that.

lady gaga hits back against critics of her fluctuating weight. and find out who is bril board's woman of the year. your it first look at entertainment is straight ahead. ♪ forz(power!) andiamo! andiamo! (let's go! let's go!) avanti! avanti! (keep going! keep going!) hahaha...hahahaha! you know ronny, folks who save hundreds of dollars by switching to geico sure are happy. and how happy are they jimmy? happier than christopher columbus with speedboats. that's happy! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. ♪ [ male announcer ] introducing a stunning work of technology. introducing the entirely new lexus es. and the first-ever es hybrid. this is the pursuit of perfection. i've heard of it, but i haven't seen one up close.

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welcome back. time for some entertainment news. well, pop star katy perry's year just keeps getting better. billboard has announced she's going to take home their woman of the year award during the magazine's women in music event in november. responding to criticism

about her recent weight gain, lady gaga revealed on her website, she has suffered from anorexia and bulimia since she was 15. she's started a section on her little monster's website for followers to show her perceived flaws. madonna said she was being deliberately ironic when she referred to president obama as a black muslim at her washington, d.c., concert. remember this little guy, the four legged star of this year's academy awards winner picture in "the artist." the movie we still haven't seen but everyone tells us we should because it's good. >> i haven't met any of those people. >> uggie has published a memoir. the tongue in cheek story and

talks about reese witherspoon and a bunch of other stuff. we have promised our producers we're going to see it. >> dogs and cats that have twitter accounts? come on. >> will you give me a heads up on one of those so i can start following? i'm lynn berry. stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. pew battleground polls out that are staggering for mitt romney, down double digits now in states he must win to take the election. the question is, how can governor romney stop the bleeding with just over a month to go. todd akin is officially remaining in the senate race in missouri. the question is how heavy will claire mccaskill go on a ichlak legit mate rape comment. and the